Posting trays

ABSTRACT

A posting tray devised chiefly for portability and thus having a relatively small capacity of rectangular cards. The tray is of the type where both front and back plates are movable outwardly from a parallel carrying position to acute angular positions to provide a convenient access to the cards. Simultaneously with such movement, legs are automatically spread outwardly to provide a stable enlarged base to support the file against tipping during filing operations.

a l i United States i in [72] Inventor EricM.1-i01t East Aurora, N.Y.

21 AppLNo. 856,386

[22] Filed Sept. 9, 1969 [45] Patented Apr. 20, 1971 [73] Assignee Posting Equipment Corporation Buffalo, NY.

[54] POSTING TRAYS 2 Claims, 5 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. U 206/1, 206/45.24, 206/73, 21 1/149, 220/69, 248/171 [51] Int. Cl ..A45c11/00, A47f 7/00, 865d 5/52 [50] Field ofSearch 206/1 (A),

44 (B),45.1 1, 15.14, 45.20, 45.24, 45.28,7274, 78, 82,(Digest),27;211/10,11,50,126,148, 149; 248/169, 171; 220/31, 69

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,647,655 1 1/1927 Ohnstrand 206/1 (A) 2,374,965 5/1945 Weston 206/73X 2,463,131 3/1949 Webb 206/44(B) 2,525,405 10/1950 Feiertag 211/149X 2,829,651 4/1958 Loring 21 l/50X 2,854,007 9/195 8 Schroeder 206/44( B) I FOREIGN PATENTS 226,084 1958 Australia 21 1/50 461,419 1949 Canada 211/50 885,694 1953 Germany 211/50 Primary Examiner.1oseph R. Leclair Assistant Examiner-Steven E. Lipman Attorney-Joseph D. Lear AJBSCT: A posting tray devised chiefly for portability and thus having a relatively small capacity of rectangular cards. The tray is of the type where both front and back plates are movable outwardly from a parallel carrying position to acute angular positions to provide a convenient access to the cards. Simultaneously with such movement, legs are automatically spread outwardly to provide a stable enlarged base to support the file against tipping during filing operations.

PATENTEUAPRZOIBYI 3575;284

sum 2 OF 2 FIGA Eric M. Ho/l TTK INVENTOR.

rosrmo mass The invention relates to posting trays for the storage of larger rectangular filing cards.

The invention is particularly directed to trays of the portable type resembling a small satchel when in carrying position. In indexing position, the ends of the tray are movable to acutely angled open positions to provide access to the cards while opposed legs provided in the structure are caused automatically to hinge outwardly to full supporting position. The invention will be found to reside also in a novel formation of articulated elements resulting in an assembly having a minimum of parts and with a significant reduction of assembly effort and corresponding production costs.

The structure of the tray is more specifically described in the accompanying specification and drawings wherein:

FIG. I is a front elevation of the tray in closed position.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of FIG. 1. FIG. 3is a, view similar to FIG. 2 but with the tray in open or posting position. 3

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the left-hand side of the tray as viewed in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary top view of disassembled base and end plate components of the invention.

The posting tray includes generally a base ill, from and back end plates 12 and 13 respectively which are hinged to the base II, and legs 14 which in turn are hinged to the plate 12 and I3. The base has vertical sides 15 which together with the plates 12 and 13 form an enclosure for receiving a mass of cards C. In the closed position of the tray (FIG. l and 2) the plates 12 and 13 are retained in parallel position by a carrying bail 16 which is hinged to the back end plate H, as indicated by the numeral 17. The free end of the bail 116 carries depending closely spaced flange members 18 and 19, which engage on opposite sides of the back end plate 13, thus preventing lateral movement thereof. The bail may be locked in this position by a suitable latch M which engages a flange 22 projecting from the flange member 119 and thus retaining the bail against upward swinging movement.

The ends of the base 11 are regularly notched as indicated by the numeral 23, and the unnotched margins are bent downward to provide a plurality of depending flanges 243. (FIG. 4 and 5) The adjacent lower margin of the plates 12 and 13 are regularly slotted as indicated by the numerals 25 and 26 respectively and such slots loosely receive the flanges 24 of the base 11. A vertical slot 27 is provided in each upper comer of the base ll.

The hinge rail 28 is welded to each plate 12, and I3, and the lower extremity of each rail is bent outwardly and terminates in an inwardly curved flange 29 which in cooperation with the underlying plate provides an open pocket 3%.

The legs 14 each have a body portion 311 terminating in side flanges 32, each flange having an upwardly extending arm 33.

A mounting hole 34 is provided in the upper extremity of each arm 33. The upper extremity of each body portion 31 is formed with an outwardly curved flange 35.

FIG. d shows the assembly sequence, where first the base flanges 24 are entered in the slots 25 of the end plate 12 when such plate is in a horizontal position (dotted line position). The plate 112 is then raised and hinged about the flanges 24 to a nearly vertical position as shown in full lines. A leg 14 is now assembled with the plate 12 by entering the curved flange 35 in the pocket 30 (dotted lines) whereupon the leg is hinged counter clockwise to bring the mounting holes 34 of the arms 33 into registry with the slots 27 of the base sides 15. A shoulder stud 36 slidably entered thru each slot 27 and riveted in each hole 34 completed the assembly. It will be noted that the hinged opening movement of the plate 12 is limited to an acute angle carrying with it the attached leg thru the pivotal connection (flange 35, pocket 30) so that the leg moves to a similar angular position, limited by the engagement of the studs 36 with the bottom of the slots 27. When thus restrained to the described limited acute angular positions, the plate 12 and the le lid are obviously secured against disassembly since this woul require greater angular displacement, as shown in the dotted line positions.

It will be apparent that the invention comprehends articulated structures in which a minimum number of mechanical fasteners are required as set forth in the appended claims.

lclaim:

l. A posting tray comprising a rectangular base having vertical sides and depending ends consisting of spaced flanges, rectangular end plates each having a series of marginal slots adapted to receive the flanges of one end of said base, to provide a pivotal connection, a rail secured to the exterior of each end plate spaced from and in parallelism to the slots therein, each rail having a depending curved terminal flange' spaced from the underlying plate and forming an open lineal pocket therewith, a substantially rectangular leg coextensive with each end of said base, each leg having a curved flange at its upper margin which flange is engaged within the adjoining pocket of an end plate, each leg having angular ends partially overlying the adjacent sides of said base, and a sliding connection between the angular end of each leg and the adjacent side of said base, said connection permitting angular movement of each leg from a vertical position to an acute angular position, said end plates being carried simultaneously for pivotal movement from vertical parallel positions to open acute angular positions. 

1. A posting tray comprising a rectangular base having vertical sides and depending ends consisting of spaced flanges, rectangular end plates each having a series of marginal slots adapted to receive the flanges of one end of said base, to provide a pivotal connection, a rail secured to the exterior of each end plate spaced from and in parallelism to the slots therein, each rail having a depending curved terminal flange spaced from the underlying plate and forming an open lineal pocket therewith, a substantially rectangular leg coextensive with each end of said base, each leg having a curved flange at its upper margin which flange is engaged within the adjoining pocket of an end plate, each leg having angular ends partially overlying the adjacent sides of said base, and a sliding connection between the angular end of each leg and the adjacent side of said base, said connection permitting angular movement of each leg from a vertical position to an acute angular position, said end plates being carried simultaneously for pivotal movement from vertical parallel positions to open acute angular positions.
 2. The invention as set forth in claim 1, wherein said sliding connection includes a pair of marginal vertical slots in each side of said base, and a shoulder stud secured to the upper corner of each end of said legs, said studs being received slidably in the vertical slots of said base. 